Australian PM Scott Morrison calls federal election for May 21
- Morrison’s Liberal National party is trailing the opposition Labor party in opinion polls but analysts predict a tight result
- Although the government is banking on its economic achievements, it has faced heat over its responses to the bush fires, floods and political sex scandals
The Morrison government last week wooed voters with a healthy economic report card, one-off payments to cope with higher costs of living and slashed petrol prices.
Morrison, who announced the election date at a press conference in Canberra, again touted his administration’s economic track record and the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic but warned “we are not out of the woods yet”.
“People are tired of politics as we go into this election. But this election, this campaign, is incredibly important because there is so much at stake for Australia and our future,” the 53-year-old leader said at Parliament House on Sunday.
But despite the government’s economic efforts, and unlike the 2019 election where Morrison’s party emerged victorious, pollsters and analysts this time are less certain about his chances as the ruling coalition is trailing the opposition Labor party 46-54 per cent in the latest Newspoll.